


We Can Make Them Believe

by Hexalys



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Arctic Scene Divergence, Eventual Parental Pitch, Gen, Jack Feels, Jack Has Issues, Manipulative Pitch, No Slash, Pitch Needs a Hug Too, Snarky Pitch, Weak Guardians, What Goes Together Better, slightly dark AU, than Cold and Dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 13:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1650086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexalys/pseuds/Hexalys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the prompt: "What if Bunny had lost his self-control that day in the park and had actually hit Jack instead?" </p><p>As a result, he's left feeling far more vulnerable when Pitch finds him in Antarctica. When a desperate bargain is struck between cold and dark, what will come of it? Will the Guardians win or will the world be plunged back into the Dark Ages? And where does Jack stand in all of this?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cold And Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? I own nothing. 
> 
> I know, I know, some of you guys are rolling your eyes at this point, giving me tired sighs and probably saying something like this: “Another Rise of the Guardians story, Hex?” Yes, you irksome brats, another one. I really can’t be blamed for this one though. I’m just so sick and tired of reading all of these stories were Jack joins Pitch, but nobody seems to put any effort behind it. 
> 
> Finally, I’d had enough and decided to take my own crack at it. This is really for the other people out there like me, who are also fed up with reading terribly paced stories that throw out inappropriate amounts of angst with no thought or reason behind it. This will be a dark fic, sort of, and there will be no slash, so sorry if that’s what you wanted, but it’s not my style.

Jack could only stare at Bunny from a distance, fear keeping him in place as he saw the once proud Spirit of Easter collapse both literally and figuratively. A voice in the back of his head, one that sounded an awful like Pitch, whispered three harsh words: ‘ _You did this._ ’ Jack bit his lip and pointedly looked away from Bunny, unable to face what he’d unintentionally caused. The panicked thoughts, ‘ _Not my fault._ ’ and ‘ _I didn’t mean for this to happen._ ’ thrummed against Pitch’s words with little success.

There was a darker side in him though, a vindictive part that hissed back. ‘ _Good, now he finally knows what I’ve felt for three hundred years._ ’ Jack didn’t flinch at the thought, or even at the venom buried behind the silent statement. He’d had such errant feelings for centuries now. He’d grown used to this shameful side of himself, but he hated it, hated that he still felt this way after all these years when he knew it was wrong. He would never wish his kind of existence onto anyone, not even Pitch.

“Jack, where were you?” He turned to North in surprise; gaze dropping instantly as he caught a glimpse of the Russian’s hunched over frame. The giant of a man, who had seemed so energetic and bright, ‘ _Someone like me._ ’, was reduced to staggering and leaning on his twin sabers for support. Jack was only slightly grateful that no dark thoughts had risen to his mind this time. He really liked North, there was a genuineness about the older Spirit that had truly made him feel welcomed.

As Jack forced his eyes to move back up to the man though, guilt filled his chest. ‘ _I did this._ ’ He whispered to himself in a horrified tone, suddenly feeling very small in comparison to North’s much larger stature. All denial and excuses left him in that moment; Pitch’s voice fell silent and victorious. He desperately avoided the man’s gaze, irrationally afraid that North would know what he’d done if they made eye contact.

“The Nightmares attacked the tunnels, they smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface!” And Jack was left staring down at his feet again, his mouth opening to explain what had really happened, but no words came out. What could he say? ‘ _I was distracted by Pitch when I promised everything would be fine. You were right to be worried, to have no faith in me. I’m sorry that I screwed this up like I do everything else._ ’

“Jack!” He instinctively turned as Tooth called his name. She sounded upset, worried, and tired all at once. Jack felt as if his entire body curled in on itself as he took in her sorry state. Her once beautiful feathers were now crimpled and dull, and a few even fell as she flew by him to hover next to North. His breathing hitched as he looked into her worn face. Earlier Tooth had felt fine, Believed in, she had told North. Now she looked worse than ever, they all did. “Where did you get that?” She gasped suddenly and Jack, confused, followed her gaze, feeling his stomach drop as he saw that his Teeth Canister was still in his grip.

He looked back up at her, eyes wide as he caught the expression she was sending him. Something like dread tore at his heart and he wasn’t sure why. Jack just knew that he couldn’t stand the way she was looking at him, like he’d just done something irredeemable. Yes, he’d lost Baby Tooth, but they could still get her back, along with all the other missing Fairies. He knew where Pitch’s lair was now; they could charge in, take Pitch by surprise and rescue the Fairies.

“I was– it was–” Jack couldn’t seem to say what he wanted to, his tongue felt too heavy to lift, his jaw too tight to unclench, his lips too numb to form words. ‘ _It wasn’t my fault. Pitch did this, not me. He tricked me._ ’ That’s what he wanted to say, but now Tooth looked panicked, immediately stopping him before he had the chance to try again.

“Where’s Baby Tooth?” Her violet eyes searched the air around them frantically, her voice shaking. Jack stepped back, unable to offer anything as comprehension filled her eyes. ‘ _I lost Baby Tooth. It’s my fault._ ’ He clenched his teeth instead, because there was no apology that could make up for this. Baby Tooth had tried to get him to go back to the Warren; he was the one who wouldn’t listen. Then he’d forgotten all about her, too focused on finding the source of that little girl’s familiar voice to pay any attention. Jack braced himself for yelling, for hurtful words, for tears and justifiable blame. What he hadn’t expected was for Tooth to bring her hands up to her mouth, how she moved away from him, and the way she looked at him with such fear. “Oh Jack, what have you done?”

It was the terrified uncertainty in her tone that hurt him the most.

“That’s why you weren’t here? You were with Pitch?!” North shouted and Jack blinked, ignoring the newborn stinging sensation in his eyes. He’d never heard North sounding so angry before and it frightened him a little.

“No!” He denied vehemently. In that moment he instantly realized what they were thinking, of what they’d thought he’d done. ‘ _Me? Working with Pitch?_ ’ Jack would have laughed if things weren’t so dire, if they weren’t looking at him like it was possible. How could they think he was working with Pitch? Why was everyone always so quick to blame him, to think badly of him? “Listen, listen.” He rushed desperately, sighing a little as Tooth fluttered even further away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen.” He couldn’t keep his voice from breaking a little.

And Jack truly meant it, more than anything he’d ever done in his entire life, he regretted this the most. He knew this was too important to brush aside with a snarky remark, or to hide from with the hood of his sweater. He felt raw, exposed. He’d never actually apologized to someone who could hear him before. He didn’t know why, but it cost himself something dear to even mutter the admission of guilt aloud. Jack had never had to seek forgiveness before and the thought of being rejected was absolutely terrifying to him. ‘ _Please believe me, it was an accident. I’m so sorry._ ’

It took everything he had not to flinch as he heard Bunny speak from behind him.

“He has to go.” Jack backed away in a bit of a stumble, not so much from the surprise of how close Bunny suddenly was, but from what the Spirit of Easter had said.

“What?” He whispered, feeling something sharp curl up inside his stomach, and he realized, as Bunny glared at him angrily, that this was what he feared most. Pitch must have missed it somehow, because not being Believed in and never knowing why the Moon had chosen him, didn’t seem so bad right about now.

Clarity struck Jack like a jagged icicle, finally understanding what he really wanted out of his existence. It only took this moment of everything falling apart to make him realize what it was. Children, for all that Jack loved them, grew old and eventually died. But the Guardians, they would last forever, just like him. He wanted friends, to be able to take comfort from others, to be seen and heard and cared for. He never wanted to be alone again. Children who Believed could only offer so much.

He wanted a family and Jack could see that possibility here, with the Guardians. Perhaps, they could be his–

“We should never have trusted you!” Suddenly he was on the ground, starring up at Bunny with a cold hand pressed up against his throbbing jaw. From behind him Tooth gasped and North cursed in Russian, but Bunny just continued to glower down at him, his paw still poised in the form of a fist. Something rattled about in his mouth and Jack instinctively spat it out, grimacing as a snowy white molar landed in his palm.

He fled.

If the others had called after him, then Jack didn’t hear them over the Wind roaring in his ears. It brushed alongside his face, as if it were caressing the area Bunny had hit. He laughed a little in response, the brokenness of it sounded like dry sobs to his own ears. The Wind, since it knew him better than anyone or anything, brought him to Antarctica; a place he’d always retreated to in his worse moments.

He landed hard, faltering a little as he ran towards the edge of a nearby cliff, preparing to throw his Teeth Canister into the water below. Against his will though, his arm seemed to slow down halfway through the action, coming to a halt just over his head. Jack tried again, the second attempt even more pathetic than the first, and heaved a ragged sigh as his shoulders slumped in defeat. Unconsciously, he brought his hood up to cover his face, hiding his wet eyes and the bruise forming on his jawline. He couldn’t get rid of his teeth.

Annoyed, Jack looked over the golden casing, studying the painted image of his face plastered on one of its end. It portrayed him with brown hair and equally brown eyes that didn’t match his current coloring at all; his smile was still the same though. ‘ _Is this really me?_ ’ He thought weakly, eyeing the drawing with uncertainty. He couldn’t help but doubt it, doubt himself, doubt everything. For a few short hours, things had been perfect and now… Now he was exactly where he’d started three hundred years ago.

Alone.

“I thought this might happen.” The voice was one he recognized immediately and it caused his eyebrows to furrow angrily. “They never really believed in you.” Those small, seemingly unimportant words, struck Jack hard, leaving him unbalanced. He panted heavily, barely restraining the urge to wrap his trembling arms around himself protectively. “I was just trying to show you that, but I understand.”

Jack was attacking Pitch before he could even process what he was doing. He just knew one thing; he was angry, angry at himself, angry at Pitch, angry at Bunny. Pitch jumped back with a short shout, barely able to bring up his dark sand in time to block the attack.

“You don’t understand anything!” Jack roared, firing another bolt of ice at the only speck of black in the oppressing scenery of white.

“No? I don’t understand what it’s like to be cast out?” Jack had to roll to dodge the Nightmare Sand that was hurled at him. He gritted his teeth, his jaw aching a little at the involuntary reaction. Was that what he was now? An outcast? He had to jump into the air to avoid another stream of black sand. “To not be Believed in?” He lunged downward with a powerful blast of ice, landing in the resulting cloud of kicked up debris.

He turned and spotted Pitch not even ten feet away, arms loose at his side. Jack raised his staff, now knowing better than to drop his guard around the Boogeyman. He’d let the man trick him once before, he wasn’t going to let it happen a second time. But then he caught the look of Pitch’s face, the expression so open and sad. It was enough to make Jack hesitate for a second, but a second was all Pitch needed.

“To long for… a family?” The soft admission paralyzed the younger Spirit. His eyes grew wide, as if they were trying to peer deeper into the Boogeyman’s mind to see his true intentions. Of course he couldn’t tell if Pitch was lying, but the longer he stared, the more Jack found himself believing in the exact opposite. Was Pitch like him, did someone else actually share his desire to belong? ‘ _But,_ ’ he thought skeptically, ‘ _how would Pitch even know I wanted a family?_ ’

Had the Boogeyman seen the fear earlier and had simply chosen not to bring it to light at the time? Why? To use it against him later? It’s not like Pitch could have known how the Guardians would react? Right?

Jack blinked and lowered his staff, mentally dizzy from the numerous questions buzzing around in his head. During the blink though, Pitch had moved. He was suddenly in front of Jack, his left hand firmly griping Jack’s chin as the right pulled down his hood. Jack automatically fought back, bringing his staff up as he tried to push the man away from him. Pitch remained resolutely in place and his left hand gave a slight squeeze in warning, causing his aching jaw to throb in response.

“What happened to your face?” The question was spoken innocently enough, but it still managed to cause Jack’s entire body to stiffen. There was a mild infliction in Pitch’s tone, but he couldn’t tell what kind or what it meant. The Boogeyman mostly sounded just curious. Still, the question brought up memories, ones that hurt him so deeply that Jack had to bite his lip to keep his emotions under control.

_“We should never have trusted you!”_

“I thought you knew everything.” He snarled instead, finally managing to get away from the Nightmare King, retreating a few feet away to glare at the man. Pitch just stared at him, his head tilted to the side and looking as if he were trying to figure something out. After a moment, doubt began to fill Jack’s mind. Pitch honestly didn’t seem to know just how badly the Guardians had reacted. Somehow, that just made everything worse. “It’s like you said, I’ve been cast out.” He continued in a lower tone.

“The Guardians did that?” Pitch sounded surprised and there was something dark dancing across his face. Again, it wasn’t something that Jack could recognize, and the odd look disappeared within seconds, giving him no chance to study it further. He held the man’s gaze for a minute and despite wanting to stay on his guard, he turned away from the Boogeyman, shamefaced.

“They thought I was working with you. They didn’t even give a chance to explain.” His hands were clenched around his staff so that they wouldn’t start shaking, and his tongue played with the new whole in his backline of molars. There was blood, it took Jack by surprise and he automatically spat it out, the glob unintentionally landing near Pitch’s feet. The splash of red stood out violently against the background of ice and snow.

“So they hit you?” The Nightmare King’s voice was flat and Jack looked up to see that his expression matched his tone. There was no glee or confusion or malice, just a dull look, as if they were having a conversation about the weather. Strangely, Jack felt angry at his lack of a reaction. Was he so unimportant, so worthless, that even the Boogeyman viewed his pain with such indifference?

“Bunny did, yeah.” He answered quietly after a second; pushing back the insults he could have said instead. The anger had left him quickly after being born, leaving Jack exhausted. He started a little when a hand abruptly gripped his shoulder, tugging him back around. Pitch stared down at him, the man’s face contorted into some form of resentment.

“They should not have touched you Jack, I hadn’t realized the rabbit’s hatred for you went so deep.” His tone was surprisingly gentle, but Jack could only focus on one word alone. ‘ _Hatred?_ ’ He wanted to deny it, he wanted to defend them, but an image of Bunny’s face appeared in his mind, green eyes full of contempt, and he knew Pitch was right.

“They do hate me.” He muttered in astonishment to the frozen air and Pitch’s grip tightened in response.

“All those years in the shadows I thought no one else knows what this feels like, but now I see I was wrong.” Jack looked up at Pitch then, something in the man’s tone made his heart start to beat a little faster. He knew Pitch was saying something important at this moment, something that made his chest lighten in a way he couldn’t understand. “We don’t have to be alone Jack, I Believe in you, and I know children will too.”

“In me?” He gasped and Pitch nodded excitedly. He didn’t really think that the Boogeyman had understood what he’d meant though. At this point, Jack couldn’t care less about Believers, he just wanted assurance that he wouldn’t go back to his lonely existence. But, if Pitch was offering what Jack thought he was offering…

“Yes, look at what we can do.” And Pitch backed away, finally releasing Jack to wave at something behind him. Inwardly, the young Spirit bemoaned the loss of such a comforting gesture and reluctantly turned to see what Pitch was talking about. His breath caught in the back of his throat at seeing the towering structure of ice and sand. “What goes together better than cold and dark?”

Jack lightly brushed his hand across the tower’s surface. It was smooth and cold from the ice, but also rippled and grainy from the sand. It wasn’t bad, he decided, just different from the usual ice sculptures he created. As his eyes roamed over the structure, his gaze landed on his reflection. Pitch said something else from behind him, but Jack was too busy studying the mark on his face to pay any attention.

“We can make them believe! We’ll give them a world where everything, everything is–”

Jack had experienced his fair share of injuries in the past. With how reckless he was, it was impossible to think that he’d never managed to give himself a few bumps and bruises. He’d been in fights before too, so he didn’t understand why this small injury bothered him so much. ‘ _It’s because you trusted them, you let them in thinking they wouldn’t hurt you. How well did that turn out?_ ’ He shook his head, as if he were trying to fend off an attack.

“You were right, Pitch. I make a mess of everything.” Jack wasn’t sure if he’d meant to say that out loud or not. In any case, the Boogeyman paused in his rant, eyes wide and looking as if he’d been doing something bad and had been caught in the act. Jack frowned; he probably should have been paying closer attention to what Pitch had been saying. It didn’t take the older Spirit long to recover though.

“Jack, the Guardians aren’t like us.” Pitch’s tone took on a deeper note that caught him off guard, making him freeze in his place as he waited for the man to continue. “What would they understand? What would they know of the feeling that comes from being stepped through, intangible to rest of the world?”

“Well Bunny sure as heck knows it now.” Jack hissed back, instantly biting his tongue for allowing his darker thoughts to escape the sanctity of his mind.

“He does, doesn’t he?” Pitch intoned smugly, making him look away guiltily. “And how did he react? He took his anger out on you, held you accountable when it wasn’t your fault.” Jack inhaled sharply at that, gaze landing on Pitch as he searched for any lies, finding only understanding. Someone didn’t blame him. The very idea of it made him feel warm because everyone always blamed Jack Frost. “Do you truly wish to ally yourself with such comrades?”

_No_.

It was only when Pitch grinned that Jack realized he’d spoken the word aloud. Ashamed, he turned away, bringing his hood back up and tucking his staff close to his side. For the first time, he just wanted to be left alone. He was about to say as much to Pitch, when the older Spirit spoke up again.

“Then come with me Jack.” He twisted around quickly; blue eyes wild and full of hope. Pitch didn’t mean that, did he? “Together, we can be so much more. Nothing would be able to stand in our way.” His renewed hope plummeted. Jack gave a broken sigh and closed his eyes. That’s what this whole thing was about, what it had always been about. The only thing people seemed to care about was his power and what it could do for them.

“You’re no different from the Man in the Moon.” Pitch growled a little at that, but Jack spoke over him. “The Guardians only wanted me because of what I did to your Nightmares. You only want me to make sure that they fail.” He looked up at the grey sky, wondering if the Moon was hiding behind the cover of clouds. “All I am is a pawn on a chessboard.”

“Oh no Jack, you’re much more valuable than a mere pawn.” Pitch stated calmly, all his earlier pretenses of warmth and understanding now gone. There was a dark gleam in the Nightmare King’s eyes, and Jack could finally tell that Pitch had been lying before. He did not long for a family. He tried to ignore how much it hurt at realizing the truth, but then he should have expected as much.

The dream of having a family was just that, a dream. And with Sandy gone, dreams were quickly turning into nightmares. ‘ _How is this not a nightmare already?_ ’ The cynical side of his mind pointed out and Jack found he couldn’t deny the accuracy behind this thought.

“You are a knight, the odd piece on the board that only the foolish and inexperienced overlook.” Pitch continued and Jack, not knowing what else to do, listened. “If we were to continue with this chess analogy of yours, then the Man in the Moon and I would be the opposing kings.” It went without saying which color represented who.

“The Guardians would therefore be the more powerful pieces. North and the rabbit would be the rooks, so easy to read in movement. The Fairy and the Sandman would be the bishops, a bit more difficult to get around, but still not all that threatening. And I? I have but myself and my Nightmares, the true pawns.” He sneered, eyes focused on the tower of ice and sand. “Tell me Jack, do you know what happens when a pawn reaches the other side of the board?”

“They get replaced with any lost piece the player wants?” He answered uncertainly and Pitch hummed slightly before shaking his head.

“Not quite, the choice of promotion is not limited to the pieces that have been captured. A player could promote the pawn to any chess piece they wish. And I find myself in need of a knight to claim my checkmate.” Pitch’s eyes bore into his and Jack had to give himself a mental shake, realizing he’d allowed himself to become too absorbed in the man’s words.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody.” He replied firmly, fully determined to walk away then. Pitch would surely push the issue; he wanted revenge on the Guardians. Despite everything, Jack didn’t want to hurt North or Tooth. He tried not to think of Bunny and his aching jaw.

“Not even the rabbit?” Pitch questioned and he floundered wordlessly before the man shrugged. “If you don’t wish to hurt anyone, then fine, I won’t ask you to.” At that moment, Jack was beginning to feel cornered and he didn’t know why. Pitch hadn’t advanced towards him, had made no move to grab him, and yet the Winter Spirit felt more trapped than when he’d been caught in the Boogeyman’s lair hours ago.

“I don’t want kids to be afraid of me either!” He shouted angrily, knowing there was no way Pitch would let that comment slide. All he wanted was fear and darkness.

“And why would I want them to fear you?” The Boogeyman scoffed, looking amused for the first time since the conversation started. “Fear is my element Jack, just as winter is yours.”

“Then how would they Believe in me?” Jack asked, his hostility lost to confusion. This whole time he’d thought Pitch had wanted to take over and fill the world with endless terror. That’s what he’d assumed after hearing Pitch reminisce about the Dark Ages at Tooth’s palace.

“Why, you would be their champion of course.” Pitch purred, circling around Jack like a hungry wolf. “I’ve learnt from my mistakes Jack, the Dark Ages had been too much. There needs to be balance in the world.” Jack was too hung up on Pitch’s first sentence to listen to the rest.

Him? A hero?

“When we finally put a stop to the Guardians, we’ll dictate how the world works. I would naturally be the villain, scaring young ones all around the world. The children will of course need a protector and who better than Jack Frost?” The Nightmare King continued, a sly smirk donned on his narrow face.

“Nobody will get hurt?” Jack asked weakly after a few minutes. “And the Guardians? They won’t–”

“We’ve survived for hundreds of years without Believers Jack, they can do the same.” Pitch pointed out with an air of boredom that was bordering on irritation. “As for the children, you have my word that the worst they shall suffer are but a few bad dreams, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Fear, more often than many realize, protects with its very nature.”

Jack nervously bit at his lip, could he do this? Could he actually turn his back on everything, on the Guardians, and join Pitch? Could he live with himself for taking part in man’s twisted plan? Pretending to be the good guy when he was actually working alongside the one who gave children nightmares? But was it really so wrong? A few bad dreams wouldn’t hurt anyone, kids were resilient and he’d be there to make sure nothing got too scary.

When Pitch held out his hand…

' _I can't have a family, but I can have Believers. This could be my last chance._ ' A desperate part of himself argued. With every passing second, he seemed to be losing more and more ground with the situation. Everything suddenly felt like too much, but Pitch was offering him something that the Guardians and the Man in the Moon never had. A place in the world. ' _And_ _I don't want to be alone anymore._ '

…Jack accepted it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! Chapter one is out and it totally kicked ass. I felt it had just the right amount of tension in here. And I truly believe that Jack could have accepted Pitch's offer if he'd been pushed too much in the movie. Here, I gave him a bitter, darker side, but we have to remember he's been alone for three hundred years. That kind of solitude leaves its mark. Jack may be the Guardian of Fun, but fun can be a long ways from innocent.
> 
> I want some feedback on how well I did with the end bit. It wasn't in the movie, so I don't know if the transition from movie dialogue to my style of writing was a little jarring or not. It felt good to me, but I'm biased. Also, I'm really proud of myself for the chess references above. So yeah, go me.
> 
> –Hexalys


	2. The Last Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!
> 
> Wow guys, thanks for the great response, seriously, it was really gratifying. I felt all gooey and warm inside, like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie! If only you guys would react this way every time I posted a new chapter for one of my stories. *wink, wink* 
> 
> All kidding aside guys, I love ya, I really do. That’s why I’m posting this chapter super early, to show my appreciation for such a great reception.

As soon as Jack had taken Pitch’s hand, a massive wave of Nightmare Sand had risen up to surround them both. For a second, he’d thought that Pitch had tricked him, and that the Boogeyman was launching an attack. Pitch must have sensed his fear, because he gave his hand a light squeeze that the Winter Spirit could almost describe as reassuring.

Traveling by… whatever it was, Jack wasn’t sure if they’d been swept away by Nightmare Sand or consumed by shadows, it definitely felt similar to what had happened to him while in Pitch’s lair, was very different from using North’s snow globes or traversing through Bunny’s tunnels. It was a lot more disorienting for one, which was a feet in and of itself. Jack had an amazing sense of direction and balance; he’d needed it so that he wouldn’t get caught off guard by an unexpected updraft when flying. Yet, as they arrived in Pitch’s home, he could barely tell which way was up or down.

A hand landed on his shoulder, steadying him, and Pitch moved away before Jack could say thanks, which was probably a good thing. Just because he’d agreed to work with the man, it didn’t mean Pitch had an ounce of his trust. He’d seen the Boogeyman’s mask of sincerity drop faster than a group of Tooth Fairies after seeing his smile.

This alliance was all about business, nothing more.

A part of Jack wished that Guardians had been as clear and cut as Pitch was being. At first, he’d helped them only to get his memories, well that, and he also hadn’t liked the idea of Tooth disappearing. But then they’d spent time with him, they’d played with him and he’d stupidly forgotten that their relationship was built from the expression: ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.’

Well he had learnt his lesson; he wouldn’t be making the same mistake with Pitch.

As his eyes adjusted to the extreme shift in lighting, the white tundra of the artic replaced with ink-like darkness, Jack heard a chorus of loud cheeps from overhead. He looked up, eyes still squinting as the caged Fairies slowly came into focus. Their small faces shone brightly, their little hands gesturing for him to free them or to look out for Pitch. Slowly, deliberately, he turned his back on them. The action was easier than he thought it would be.

He spotted Pitch standing next to his globe of the world and Jack cautiously approached him. Something clenched in his chest as he saw the Lights of Believers rapidly blinking out of existence. He did his best to brush the sensation aside, he was on the other side of the line now. He wanted the Lights to go out. Unsurprisingly, telling himself that still didn’t make the feeling go away though.

“They’re disappearing so quickly.” Jack said mostly to himself, but Pitch hummed in agreement. A Nightmare materialized and it gave him a passive sounding snort before it moved over to its’ master, whickering slightly as the Boogeyman ran a hand over its’ long nose. The scene made the younger Spirit think of his own past creations that he’d brought to life with his frost. They’d never lasted long, he didn’t have enough strength to keep them stable for more than an a few hours, but they’d always been loyal and very playful.

“Once every child has lost their faith, we’ll start a new wave of Believers, ones who will believe in the Boogeyman.” Pitch paused here and Jack gave the man his firmest glare. It just seemed to amuse the Nightmare King. “And of course, they’ll believe in Jack Frost too.”

“Right, so we play the waiting game.” He muttered, trying his best to ignore the frantic chirps above him. “I hate waiting.”

“We’ve been unseen for centuries Jack, a few hours more won’t kill us.” Pitch commented in an unconcerned tone. He jerked his head up to look at the Fairies, who had only grown louder in the short span of seconds, and snarled. “Oh, do shut up before I decide to play tennis with you lot.”

Despite himself, Jack smiled a little at that. Pitch didn’t sound serious or angry, just annoyed. Plus, he was sure that the man would look completely ridiculous should he ever play the game. The image of Pitch batting Tooth Fairies across an empty tennis court abruptly appeared in Jack’s mind, making him snicker a little. Pitch sent him a look that seemed to say: ‘I know exactly what you’re picturing Frost, knock it off _._ ’ Jack shrugged and offered a small smirk, no doubt looking completely unapologetic.

“Hey, wait a minute, what happened to Baby Tooth?” He asked quickly, only just remembering his missing friend. Pitch raised an eyebrow blankly. “The Fairy that was here with me last time?” Jack further elaborated, displeasure dripping into his tone.

“Ah, I know just the one.” Pitch said while snapping his fingers in an exaggerated manner before pulling something out from the shadows. Baby Tooth struggled weakly in the Boogeyman’s grasp, looking up at Jack with wide mismatched eyes. “I had planned to use her as a bargaining chip should you have declined my offer, but since you did not… Her presence is rather moot at this point, isn’t it?”

Jack’s hand shot out before he even had a moment to process the possible meanings behind Pitch’s words. He was worried, afraid for Baby Tooth’s safety because the Nightmare next to Pitch was looking at her in hungry manner. ‘ _Do Nightmares even eat?_ ’ Pitch paused, before giving him a shark-like smile, silver-gold eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness of his lair.

“What would you give me for her, Jack?” He taunted, swaying the Fairy in his clutches a little. Jack had to bite his lip to stop the word that had almost escaped his mouth. ‘ _Anything’_ wouldn’t fly here. He had to be smart about things when they came to Pitch. So instead of pleading, he stuck out his chin and gave the Boogeyman a hard look.

“Think of it as an act of good faith on your part.” Jack tried and Pitch tilted his head, hiding his face in even more shadows. “I mean, really, you haven’t given me many reasons to trust you.” He prodded a little more, heart racing as he saw Pitch narrow his eyes. Jack decided to backpedal a little. “You don’t need her anyways.” It was silent in the cave, even the Fairies above had stopped making noise, as if they too had realized the potential danger their sister was in.

“A favor Jack, one of my choosing to collect in the future, and you get your little friend back.” Pitch countered and he inwardly cursed because there was no way he could say no to the stipulation. Baby Tooth squeaked and shook her head vigorously, but Jack simply sighed after a long moment, nodding his head slowly as he stared at the ground in defeat. “Done.”

Jack stepped forward and eagerly took the small Fairy into his hands, minding his staff secured tightly under his arm. There was no way he was going to leave it unattended whenever he was around Pitch.

“Hey Baby Tooth, you okay?” He asked softy while gently brushing a finger over her feathered head. She sneezed, her whole body jerking in the motion, and Jack’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry.” He whispered sadly, unable to look at her little face. It was such a loaded word and he felt like he was apologizing for a lot more than just his uncontrollable body temperature. “All I can do is keep you cold.” She patted his palm, showing that it was okay, and Jack wondered if she knew about his alliance with Pitch. Or of how he’d betrayed the Guardians. ‘ _More like they betrayed me._ ’ His spiteful side argued back.

“How precious.” Pitch remarked, startling him a little. He’d completely forgotten Pitch was there. For a second, it had felt like he was still back in Antarctica. “If you’re quite through with the touching reunion, we have an appearance to make at the North Pole.” Pitch turned to his Nightmare, saying something Jack couldn’t hear before it rushed off with a loud cry.

“Wait, what?” He asked quickly, carefully placing Baby Tooth on his shoulder. “We’re going to North’s Workshop? Why?” He gripped his staff firmly, trying and failing to hide his nervousness. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face the Guardians just yet. Then again, Jack didn’t think he’d ever truly be ready to see their reactions at joining up with Pitch. “Are the Guardians there?”

“I doubt it, there are only ten children left who Believe, they are most likely rushing to those Lights to ensure they do not go out.” Pitch paused and smirked as the tenth Light faded, leaving only nine behind. “As for why we are going to North’s Workshop, it is merely for my own amusement. Perhaps I simply wish to celebrate my victory in the crowning fortress of my enemies? I find there’s a bitter form of poetic justice in the gesture, to stand inside the throne room when it all unravels for the Guardians.”

“Man, you just love to hear yourself talk, don’t you?” Jack remarked flatly and Pitch glared at him in response. Baby Tooth squeaked furiously, instantly gaining their attention. She sounded reprimanding and gestured towards Winter Spirit before shaking her little fist at Pitch. The Nightmare King smirked darkly and Jack lowered his head in guilt. He knew exactly what Baby Tooth was saying.

“ _You won’t win, Jack will stop you!_ ”

“Oh, how adorable, it seems the foolish thing still has faith in you Jack.” Pitch cooed, his right hand reaching out to grab Baby Tooth, who promptly squeaked and hid in the folds of his hoodie. “Perhaps you should tell your dear friend the truth, rather than make her witness your actions?” Jack’s eyelids were shut, closed so tightly that he could see spots in the blackness.

“Baby Tooth…” He started, voice breaking a little. “I’m not a Guardian; I’m not _with_ the Guardians.” He ground out through clenched teeth. Jack heard her give a small chirp, sounding confused. Something soft brushed the side of his jaw, touching the bruise Bunny had left behind and he hissed, feeling his anger renewed. “I never _wanted_ to be a Guardian! I’m with Pitch now!”

“ _You were with Pitch?!_ ” North’s earlier words rung throughout his mind, furthering his resentment. He tore Baby Tooth from her place on his shoulders, still having enough sense to hold her gently, and flew up to the nearest cage of Fairies. He tossed her inside, her sisters swarming over to see if she was alright. She looked back up at him, tears swimming in her duel colored eyes.

“And I _will_ be Believed in.” Jack growled before slamming the door shut with a powerful push. The resounding clang echoed ominously off the walls causing the metal cage swing back roughly, and making the Fairies cry out in either alarm or fear. He landed hard next to Pitch, teeth still clenched as he glared at the Boogeyman with everything that he had. “Let’s just go already.” He grunted moodily, ignoring how Pitch grinned at him. Nightmare Sand flew towards them at much slower pace than last time, giving Jack a chance to look back up at Baby Tooth.

Before they disappeared, he saw her head sticking out between the bars, her little hand reaching out towards him desperately.

* * *

Pitch was the happiest he’d been in centuries. Not since the Dark Ages had he felt this triumphant, though he had taken a great deal of pleasure with having finally been rid of Sanderson. Still, even the Sandman’s demise hadn’t filled him with as much glee as seeing Frost shout and encage his little Fairy friend. Really, with how the temperature had dropped so quickly, and Frost’s particularly icy glare, the boy could be quite frightening when he wanted to be. There was hope for him yet.

In truth, Pitch could hardly believe how perfectly things were turning out. The once immeasurable number of Believers had been reduced to a handful of Lights that were quickly disappearing. The Guardians own numbers had also suffered a serious blow lately. Not only had they lost the Sandman, but they’d lost Jack Frost too. It was just all the more satisfying that they’d crippled themselves in that area without his interfering. Frost had hardly needed much convincing in Antarctica.

And now, from his latest Nightmare’s report, the Guardians were at their weakest. North’s strength and exuberance had finally failed him; the Russian was little more than an old man now. Toothiana was grounded, her wings too feeble to lift her for more than a few seconds, taking away what was left of her fighting spirit. And then there was Bunnymund, the rabbit was the one who’d suffered the worst, reduced to a pathetic form and left completely powerless. Oh, how he couldn’t wait to see how dreadful they all looked with his own eyes.

Pitch chuckled as they reappeared in North’s Workshop, spreading his Nightmare Sand throughout the room for a dramatic effect. He heard Frost mutter something along the lines of: “And Bunny called me a show pony”, but he paid the Winter Spirit no mind and walked across the globe, an unusual spring highlighting his gait.

“You’re all free to go!” He shouted, noticing that Frost was matching his steps as he moved, swinging about his staff in an uncaring fashion and frosting the globe over. Pitch eyed the thin ice crawling atop the painted wood, seeing the design and shapes it formed while it steadily grew outwards. The icy patterns looked disturbingly like an armada of his Nightmares, swallowing the world up in one swift wave. He distantly wondered if the work was Frost’s doing, or if the ice itself chose what image to create. In either case, it had a pleasing effect on the Yetis, who reeled back from the unsettling sight with panicked yells. “We won’t be needing any Christmas toys this year, thank you.” He bowed a little at the end, much like a performer accepting a standing ovation. “Nor ever again.” His eyes turned to the Lights, everyone’s gazes following his.

“There’s not many left now.” Frost commented coolly, eyeing a Light that was flickering a little. Pitch couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the boy’s uncaring tone.

“Only six left, six precious children who still believe in the Guardians with all their heart.” He gave Frost a mischievous look, before his foot landed on the only Light left in Europe, grounding his heel as if he were squishing a bug. “Make that five.” He pulled away and low and behold, the light was extinguished. He spun a little, practically skipping over to North America, and stepped on the next Light. “Four!” Pitch went to move again, but the frost that had been spreading across the globe reached the third Light before he could. It flickered weakly for a second before also going out.

“Three.” Frost echoed from behind him. Pitch jumped, landing directly on top of the next two Lights.

“Two!” He crowed, not even feeling the cold from the frost that appeared under his feet, and looked over his shoulder towards the last Light, snapping his fingers for an added effect. Victory was his, he’d won!

Only nothing happened. He snapped twice more before turning around, glaring at the Light as if it had personally offended him. The frost stopped just short of touching the Light and the Winter Spirit crouched down next to it, a curious expression played across his face.

“One.” Pitch hissed, his shoulder hunched forwards as he stalked towards the Light to see exactly where the little Believer resided. Somewhere in Pennsylvania from the looks of it, disturbingly close to one of the entrances to his Dark Cave and Jack’s pond. It seemed this Light required a personal touch, especially if the Guardians had already managed to find the child. That would explain why the child still Believed while every other Light had gone out.

“Jamie.” Frost said softly, recognition and fondness underlining his voice.

“Friend of yours, Jack?” He asked lightly. The boy looked up in surprise, blue eyes wide, and Pitch realized his tone may not have been as harmless as he’d thought.

“No, I–” Frost shook his head, eyes drifting back to the last Light, his face taking a seldom turn. “If I could pick anyone to be my first Believer, it would be Jamie.” Pitch hummed, attempting to sound as though he understood the boy’s sentiments. Perhaps it wasn’t so odd that Frost would fixate on one child, but the Boogeyman couldn’t really understand why. But then he’d never had the same obsession with children as other Spirits. While they coddled the children, he had always made sure that they got a taste of reality from time to time. The world wasn’t filled with sugary sweets; in fact it was rather bitter.

“Well then, I think it’s high time you had a Believer, Jack.” He said as warmly as he could while laying a hand on the boy’s thin shoulder. Frost stiffened under the light touch, but quickly eased into it after a moment. Pitch hid a smirk, three hundred years without such comforting notions made the boy very easy to manipulate.

“You know where the child is, yes?” Frost looked up at him with hopeful eyes, slowly nodding his head. “Then go, the Guardians may have already reached the last Light.” And Frost flew, he was out of North’s Workshop faster than Pitch had thought possible. As the Boogeyman watched the young Winter Spirit disappear from a nearby window, he summoned up one of his Nightmares. “Alert the others, we may need to make a final stand tonight.”

Pitch turned to look at the Workshop as the Nightmare retreated, his silver-gold eyes taking in the shocked and fearful faces of North’s work force. One Yeti however, simply looked furious. It approached him, the others quickly moving out of its’ way, and stopped just short of actually touching him. It gave huffy breaths that smelled of peppermint, green eyes narrowed with intensity. It garbled something, Pitch couldn’t understand a world of it, and gestured at the ice covered globe. The Boogeyman thought he got the gist of what the creature was saying.

“ _Why is Jack Frost with you?_ ”

“Frost joined me at his own inclination. I merely offered him what your leader and the Guardians couldn’t.” He was answered with more gesturing and inarticulate growls.

“ _What could you offer that they couldn’t?_ ”

“Understanding.” Pitch replied before giving the surprisingly intelligent behemoth a sharp smile and returned to his Dark Cave.

* * *

Jack had never flown as fast as he was going now. The Wind battered into him a little and it was hard for him to keep his eyes open, but he pushed forward, asking for the Wind to go even faster. He had to get to Jamie, because if he didn’t, if the Guardians got there before he did, Jack had a terrible feeling that he would never be Believed in. Jamie was his last hope at being seen.

He arrived at Burgess in what felt like minutes, which was obviously only in his head. The Wind was fast, but not even it could get him halfway across the world that quickly. The Wind carried him to Jamie’s window, a place Jack had asked it to bring him to several times in the past.

How often had he sat near that window, looking in on the happy family and desperately wishing they could see him? Jack threw his mind back to the first time he saw Jamie, the boy had only been three years old then. He had spotted Jamie and his father, Matthew Bennett, building their first snowman together. He smiled sadly at the memory; Matt had been one of his favorites too. As a kid, he had loved winter almost as much as Jamie did.

It was only now that Jack realized he’d actually been wishing for a family of his own, or at least, to be a part of the Bennett’s. He imagined he’d be a very good older brother. He’d teach Sophie how to ice skate and encourage Jamie’s Beliefs in everything. He’d even help the kids with their homework, since that was what good brothers did. Then he’d have snowball fights with them and all the neighborhood kids.

Jack’s daydreams were suddenly cut short as he heard Jamie’s voice leak out from the window, which he noticed was slightly opened. The Winter Spirit frowned at that, it was still cold enough for snow after all, Jamie could catch a cold.

“Okay, look, you and I are obviously at what they call a crossroads. So here’s what’s gonna happen.” Jack peaked through the window, seeing the eight year old sitting on his bed and talking to Mr. Whiskers, his old toy rabbit that had clearly seen better days. “If it wasn’t a dream and if you are real, then you have to prove it, like right now.”

He crouched down onto the windowsill. It didn’t look like there was any reason for him to have come. Jamie was going to stop Believing at any moment. It broke his heart to hear the boy’s sad words, to see this child who Believed in everything, slowly lose his faith. A part of Jack, a very large part, hated himself for doing this to the kid he’d just been fantasying about being a brother to. Big brothers didn’t hurt their siblings, they protected them.

“I’ve believed in you for a long time okay? Like my whole life in fact, so you kind of owe me now. You don’t have to do much, just a little sign so I know. Anything…” Jack couldn’t watch this happen, he looked away. “Anything at all.” There was a breathless pause and then an almost silent thump. He looked back to see that the toy had fallen to the floor, abandoned by the last Light. “I knew it.”

Jack couldn’t take it. He couldn’t stand seeing this loss of childhood innocence, and he couldn’t bear to see Jamie looking so hopeless. He pushed open the window, banishing all thoughts about the Guardians and Pitch to the farthest corners of his mind. This, he decided firmly, had nothing to do with them.

This was about Jamie.

He stepped into the room unnoticed before turning to the window and frosted the glass by letting his hand hover over the surface. Jack paused only for a second, before placing his finger on the glass and drew a sloppy looking Easter egg. He heard Jamie gasp and he turned to see the young boy staring down at Mr. Whiskers, as if he was the one who’d drawn the egg. He gave a genial scoff and moved up the window, deciding to draw a rabbit instead.

“He’s real.” Jamie whispered while slowly standing up on his bed. Jack smiled a little and turned back to the drawing. Sure, Jamie had asked for any kind of proof, and he still Believed, but Jack felt like the two dimensional image wasn’t doing him any credit. He focused on the frost and at his command the rabbit came to life, climbing out of the window gracefully and into his awaiting hands.

“Whoa.” Jamie said with awe, making Jack smile a little wider, feeling a sense of pride in his creation. The rabbit hopped out of his hands and dashed across the room, able to run on the Wind just like he could. He laughed with Jamie as the kid reached out to grab the frost creature, only to end up gasping in surprise as the rabbit burst into a cloud of snowy flakes.

“Snow?” Jack fondly watched the falling debris; pleased that Jamie had noticed that little bit. “ _Jack Frost?_ ” He froze.

“Did he just say?” Jack whispered to the quiet room, feeling some sort of emotion that was too powerful to name, tighten almost painfully in his chest. No, he’d just imagined it. It was just wishful thinking on his part. The Winter Spirit had done it to himself many times in the past. Someone saying his name out loud didn’t mean that the person Believed in him.

“Jack Frost?”

“He said it again.” He gasped while backing away from the last Believer. “He said– you said–” Jack couldn’t even begin to articulate how stunned he was. This was the closest anyone had ever come to Believing that he actually existed.

“Jack Frost!” Jamie said again, and Jack honestly didn’t think he’d ever get tired of hearing his name if Jamie was the one to say it.

“That’s right!” He shouted excitedly while lunging forwards, hands grasping at the hair on his head, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. “But that’s me, I’m Jack Frost, that’s my name.” He said to the room, to Jamie, even though the boy couldn’t hear him. Jack squinted at the boy for a second, shock permeating on his body. His emotions were reflected in Jamie’s face who was staring back with wide eyes and an opened mouth.

He couldn’t be, could he…?

“Wait, c-can you hear me?” Jack asked, ignoring how his voice cracked a little. And remarkably, unbelievably, Jamie nodded. “C-can you… can you see me?” Another nod, a small amazed smile. “He’s sees me. He, he sees me!” Tears, the first Jack had shed in decades, began to build in the corners of his eyes. He’d never been so happy before in his entire existence! With a laugh he did a backflip, landing on Jamie’s desk and smiling so widely his cheeks hurt.

“You just made it snow!” Jamie shouted breathlessly.

“I know!” He replied in the same level, excitement filling his tone.

“In my room!” The boy continued quickly with a tooth-gaped grin displayed on his face.

“I know!” Jack shouted back, unable to contain his joy. ‘ _He sees me, he sees me, he sees me!_ ’

“You’re real?” Jack thought the question was a little redundant at this point, but he was too happy to give Jamie a sarcastic response.

“Yeah! I mean, who do you think brings you all the snow days and the blizzards? And you remember when you went flying on that sled the other day?” He gestured wildly, Jack wasn’t sure he could remember the last time he’d had this much energy. He just suddenly felt so empowered, so lively. ‘ _Is this what it feels like to have a Believer?_ ’

“That was you?” Jamie asked while bouncing on the bed, apparently he wasn’t the only one having troubles with staying still.

“That was me!” Jack agreed.

“Cool!”

“Right?” He bragged happily. This, he decided, was the best moment of his life.

“But what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, I mean, what about the others?” And Jack felt his elated mood plummet. He must have made a face because Jamie stopped bouncing and his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. “They are real, right? I saw them in my room last night.” He still couldn’t answer. Instead, he found himself staring out the window, desperately trying to avoid Jamie’s gaze. “Jack, did something bad happen to them? Is that why there weren’t any eggs?”

The Winter Spirit slowly turned back to Jamie, throat catching as he saw the scared and worried look on the little boy’s face. What could he say? He was with Pitch now. Restoring Jamie’s Belief in the Guardians would only hurt things for him in the long run. But then again, he couldn’t tell Jamie that they weren’t real, that they’d never existed. So Jack chose the third option and he did something that he would hate himself for, for the rest of his life.

He looked into Jamie’s hopeful face and lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I bet you people are cursing up a storm at this point. I really just had to stop the chapter there, if only to torture you all a little while longer. Seriously, I really do love how this chapter turned out and I’m especially happy that I got to throw in a little bit of the story from Pitch’s point of view. Pitch is my favorite character, so expect him to have a decent amount of parts in this story. 
> 
> I think I did well with redoing the movie scenes from a different side of the spectrum. I have no doubt that even though Jack joined Pitch, he would still ensure that Jamie wouldn’t stop Believing. He really has a soft spot for the kid, you could tell as much from the movie. Jack would never hurt intentionally Jamie.
> 
> –Hexalys


	3. To Snuff Out A Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

“ _What?_ ” Jamie whispered, horrified, his face scrunched up as tears started to fall. Jack could only look away, unable to stomach what his lies had caused. He was taken by surprise as Jamie wrapped his arms around him suddenly, roughly burying his small head into his stomach.

The Winter Spirit stopped breathing for a second, his arms raised in the air as he was unsure of what he should do with himself. His first hug, this was his first hug! Jack had always imagined experiencing the sensation before, of what if must feel like to be embraced by someone, but he found his fantasies didn’t do the action any justice.

Jamie was warm and while Jack usually didn’t like warmth, he could definitely make an exception when it came to hugs. Hesitantly, he lowered his arms to wrap them around his first Believer, feeling something good and indescribable fall into place somewhere deep within his chest. However, the magnificent moment was ruined as Jamie started crying into his hoodie, breaking Jack’s heart because he’d caused this.

He was the one who’d hurt Jamie. His lies had shattered the child’s innocent ideals of the world by taking a wonderful fairytale and turning it into a nightmare.

“There, there.” Jack tried, flinching at how his voice came out, resorting to awkwardly rubbing the eight year olds’ back and getting a watery chuckle for his efforts.

“You’re not very good at this.” Jamie said without pulling away so his words were muffled slightly. Jack sighed, but nodded while running a hand through Jamie’s hair, causing the boy to shiver a little. He quickly pulled back, returning his arms back to his sides. Sometimes, it was so easy to forget how cold he was when compared to others.

“Hey, you’re the first person to ever Believe in me, so I’m a little new to the whole comforting thing.” Jack muttered honestly, feeling more than a little self-conscious. Jamie leaned back, his face flushed and tearstained, to give him an odd look.

“…I’m your first Believer?” He nodded as the kid looked up at him with sad eyes. “Does that mean no one’s ever hugged you before?” Jamie continued in a shocked tone, as if he couldn’t conceive that Jack had never been hugged before now. The Winter Spirit shrugged uncomfortably while stuffing his hands into his shirt’s pockets, pointedly avoided Jamie’s gaze.

His hands brushed against his forgotten Teeth Canister and he thought that maybe, Jamie hadn’t given him his first hug after all. All of his memories literally rested in the palm of his hand, memories of a family, of hugs he could have experienced. Jack brought out the Canister, lost in thought.

Should he open it, should he try to get his memories back? It would likely answer his many questions, but what if he didn’t like what he found? Besides, things were precarious enough as they were, did he really want to risk upsetting everything that he was trying to make for himself? Maybe it would be best to wait until later, just until everything had settled down.

“Wow, what’s that?” Jamie asked in an awed tone, bringing Jack out of his thoughts. He gave his first Believer a searching look, before an idea struck him, making him smile a little.

“This Jamie, is a Teeth Canister, it holds all of my baby teeth from when I was human.” He answered; twirling the golden case in his hands and avidly watching as Jamie’s eyes tracked his movements. The novelty of being seen wasn’t something that was going to wear out anytime soon.

“You used to be human?” The boy asked and Jack nodded easily, as if he’d known the information all his life instead of finding out about it last night.

“We all were once, before the Man in the Moon chose us.” He said sagely, smirking as Jamie looked at him with renewed wonder. “Everyone’s baby teeth actually hold their most important memories from their childhood.” He explained, somberly repeating what Tooth had told him in her palace. “These are my memories Jamie and I want you to hide them, to keep them safe from Pitch.” Jamie shuddered, not from the cold this time, but from fear.

Jack had told him all about the Boogeyman and what he’d done to the Guardians.

“Wait, you want me to protect your teeth?” Jamie asked anxiously, his brown eyes growing wide with terror. “But what if Pitch comes? Why would he want your memories? What if he–”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Jack rushed forward to pull the boy into another hug, desperately trying to ignore the guilt that ate at him. He’d caused this fear of Pitch in Jamie. He’d terrified the kid so much that he almost went into hysterics at just hearing the Nightmare King’s name. “It’s alright Jamie. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.” He continued to hug the boy for a few more minutes before pulling away, bending down so that he could look Jamie in the eyes.

“Pitch doesn’t want my teeth, but I don’t really have a safe place to keep them.” He clarified, pausing to pass over the Canister. Jamie took it into his hands, tracing the colorful carvings carefully. “I know you’ll take good care of them Jamie and they’ll help you to Believe in me.” He gave the last Light a serious look. “Whenever you have doubts, or when things get too scary, I want you to hold this and Believe in me. Because right now, Believing is the most important thing you can do to help me fight against Pitch.”

The young boy nodded, looking more serious than Jack had ever seen him, before jumping off the bed. He watched, bemused as Jamie pried up one of the floorboards next to his bed, tucking in the Canister among a few other knickknacks that Jamie obviously treasured. He spied a brown little notebook, some half-used crayons, and a silver heart shaped locket without a chain.

“This is my secret hiding spot.” Jamie whispered and Jack leaned forward, realizing that the eight year old was sharing something with him that he’d likely never shown anyone before. “Only Sophie knows about it.” Well, okay, almost anyone, but Sophie didn’t really count in his opinion anyway, she was only three after all.

“What’s with the locket?” He whispered back, though nobody but Jamie could hear him.

“It’s something my mom got me for my birthday a few years ago.” The boy pulled it out and opened it. “It’s a picture of my family, see.” Sure enough, there was a miniaturized photo of the entire Bennett family, including his parents, a baby Sophie and a younger looking Jamie.

“Why don’t you wear it?” Jack asked, whispering now not because he was playing along with Jamie, but because he was moved by the gift. What he wouldn’t give to have a picture of his family that he could always look at. Too bad he didn’t have a family. Even if he’d had one once when he’d been human, they were long gone now. It was just another reason why Jack didn’t want to look at his memories. He didn’t want to remember something he would likely never have again.

“Are you kidding? It’s shaped like a heart! A kid could get beat up for wearing something like this to school.” Jamie replied while tucking the locket back into its spot near the Teeth Canister. “I get enough grief from the older kids for just believing in Santa–” Jamie stopped there, biting his lip and looking like he was about to start crying all over again.

Jack closed his eyes, hating himself.

“Jamie, who are you talking to?” Jamie’s mother called from down the hall. Jamie quickly replaced the floorboard and looked at Jack for help. The Winter Spirit simply shrugged, knowing that if Jamie chose to tell the truth, his mother wouldn’t believe him anyway.

“Uh, Jack Frost?” That was one of the things he liked about Jamie the most, the boy never chose to lie if he could help it. Jack cringed as he realized he could no longer say the same for himself

“Huh, okay.” She replied with a small chuckle. He could almost imagine her shaking her head fondly, amused by her son’s seemingly wild imagination. Jamie laughed and Jack joined him. The brief lighthearted moment was ruined as the Wind suddenly threw Jamie’s window opened. He moved to look out the window, his eyes widening in dread as he saw North’s sleigh crash into the street below.

“What’s wrong Jack?” Jamie asked and Jack realized he hadn’t heard the crash because Jamie no longer Believed in North or in any of the others. “Is it _him?_ ” He sure as heck Believed in Pitch though.

“I-I don’t know.” He muttered, unable to look away as North’s reindeer ran off with the old spirit calling after them in Russian. “But I’m going to check it out.” Jack grabbed his staff that he’d setup against Jamie’s desk and flew out the window, landing on the streetlight just above the Guardians, unable to confront them just yet.

“North, are you okay?” Tooth asked, buckling a little as the larger Spirit leaned onto her smaller frame for support.

“It is official, my powers are kaput.” North answered sadly, sounding so unlike his usual jolly self. Tooth continued to struggle with the Russian’s weight as she slowly helped him out of the sleigh. From above them, hidden in shadows, Jack wondered where Bunny was. ‘ _Probably still sulking in the park._ ’ His mind whispered spitefully. Unnervingly enough, only a small part of him regretted the cruel thought. His musings were interrupted as a door slammed from behind him and Tooth gasped.

“Look!” She half-shouted and Jack followed her gaze. He choked a little as he spotted Jamie’s small form running down the driveway with only a pair of slippers on his feet.

“The last Light.” North said in awe while gazing at Jamie as if he was the most wonderful thing in the world.

‘ _They don’t know._ ’ Jack realized with dread, frozen in his spot as he watched Jamie get closer. ‘ _They have no idea that Jamie doesn’t Believe in them anymore._ ’

Tooth moved forward first, faster than North who hobbled behind slowly as he used one of his swords like a crutch. Jamie didn’t slow down and Tooth cried out as he ran right through her. Despite the handicap, North was quick enough to grab Tooth before she could collapse backwards. Her tearful shout seemed to echo down the street, making Jack flinch.

“Jack!” Jamie called, running up to the streetlight and unknowingly alerting the Guardians to his presence. “Is it Pitch?” Jack ducked his head as he landed in front of Jamie, laying a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder and mentally blocking out the others.

“No, it’s fine, go back to the house for now though.” He replied softly, his hold on Jamie’s shoulder tightening a little as he caught sight of Tooth and North approaching them from the corner of his eye.

“You’ll come back, right?” Jamie asked, looking both scared and hopeful at the same time.

“You kidding? Wild Nightmares couldn’t keep me away.” He answered with a smile and lazily hoisting his staff onto his shoulders. Jamie smiled in response, chuckling a little as Jack ruffled his hair and causing a light coating of snow to cover his head. “Try to get some sleep. I’ll make sure you and your friends don’t have any bad dreams tonight.” Jamie dove in for a quick hug, catching Jack off guard again, before racing back to his house, never once sparing the Guardians a glance.

“Jack, he sees you.” North stated after a moment, happiness filling his tone. Jack forced himself to look at North, mentally preparing for the outburst that was bound to come. But North’s face was beaming with pride, looking rather like a doting grandfather who had just seen his grandchild excel at something. That wasn’t what he’d expected to see and Jack felt his heart twist painfully at North’s warm expression. ‘ _Don’t North, please, don’t look at me like that._ ’

Jack found his eyes drifting to Tooth, who was now leaning against North for a change. She managed to give him a broken smile, glad for him even though they’d just lost their last Believer. Her feathers looked even worse than earlier and her wings hung uselessly on her back. The fragile smile quickly crumbled as Tooth buried her face into her hands, shoulders shaking a little.

“He was the last Light…” She whispered over her tears. North closed his eyes, looking pained. He lowered his head and grabbed Tooth’s shoulder, giving it a sharp squeeze. “Oh North, what are we going to do?”

“It’s alright Toothy, we will think of something.” North looked up at him then, big eyes searching for something that Jack didn’t know if he could still give.

This wasn’t at all how he had envisioned their reactions. He had thought they would hate him, that they wouldn’t be happy for him in gaining a Believer. ‘ _They don’t know what I’ve done, but once they do–_ ’ Jack straightened his back, and stared hard at the pavement. ‘ _I just got them before they could get me._ ’ The justification solidified something in him, giving him the strength he needed to look into North’s eyes.

“So, where’s Bunny?” Jack asked softly while gripping his staff hard as he remembered the bruise on his jaw. He saw North’s gaze lower a little, taking in the mark before quickly looking away.

“Losing Easter took its toll on all of us, Bunny most of all.” The Russian said lowly before turning back to look at the sleigh. A small light gray rabbit hopped out and landed on one of the wings to the sleigh. Jack recognized the oddly patterned fur and bright green eyes easily. Bunny looked at him for a second, eyes wide and nose twitching, before quickly turning back to the others.

“Where’s the kid?” The small rabbit asked, sounding the same as before and setting his teeth on edge. No apology, no regret, _nothing_ , just a gruff question and deliberate ignorance. Jack felt whatever guilt he’d had towards betraying the Guardians shrivel up in that moment. Anger pulsed though his veins instead and the frost thickened around his staff.  

“ _Bunny!_ ” North scolded while looking angry, but not nearly as furious as when he’d been yelling at Jack earlier in the park.

“He doesn’t Believe in us anymore, we were too late.” Tooth answered softly, pulling her hands away from her face to rub at her raw eyes.

Jack almost went to her in that moment, wanting nothing more than to see her off the ground and up in the air again. She looked so awkward on her feet, as if she hadn’t walked in years, which was actually very likely now that he thought about it. As he stepped towards her though, Bunny shouted, instantly reclaiming his attention.

“This is all your fault!” The rabbit yelled before dashing over to throw himself at the Spirit’s legs, kicking and punching at any part that he could reach. It didn’t hurt, but Jack couldn’t help imagining about how much it would have had Bunny been his normal size. His jaw still ached and he distantly wondered why the bruise hadn’t healed yet.

“Bunny, enough!” North said disapprovingly. “Our situation is not Jack’s fault.”

“Actually, for once, the Kangaroo’s right.” He replied agreeably, faking a smile as the others stared at him. “Though really, you don’t look like much of a Kangaroo anymore. I can totally see the bunny thing now.” Bunny glared and Jack felt his smirk turn into a sneer. “I am the reason you no longer have Jamie as a Believer.”

“What?” Tooth asked, looking so confused while staring up at him from where she sat on the street sidewalk. North also looked lost, his blue eyes wide and once again searching for something. Their expressions were almost enough to make Jack fly away again. But then his gaze landed on Bunny, who wore a knowing glare. “Jack, what do you mean?”

He was interrupted before he could say anything else, lightning cracked across the sky and they all turned to look up. Pitch was floating miles above them, standing on a cloud of swirling Nightmare Sand. Tooth quickly retreated to North, who griped his sword tightly while Bunny stood his ground, raising his little paws in the air.

Jack just rolled his eyes, quickly realizing that Pitch was one for the theatrics, which was something that he could reluctantly appreciate. After spending years trying to get attention from others, he had found that the flashier you were, the more attention you got. Though it was dangerous for him to go all out if he wasn’t completely focused, the blizzard of ‘68 was proof of that.

“Ah, Jack.” Pitch intoned, startling them all a little as he walked out of a nearby shadow. Jack saw the Boogeyman grin at the Guardians as they weakly settled into their battle stances. “I see you’ve been entertaining the Guardians. Tell me, is young Jamie’s Belief taken care of?” Pitch asked while placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Yup.” Jack answered with mock cheer, focusing on Pitch so that he wouldn’t have to see the Guardians’ reactions. “Jamie thinks the Guardians are all gone, which yeah, he’s pretty terrified of you now. And hey, he Believes in me too.”

“Well done Jack, I knew I could count on you.” Pitch remarked while running a hand through his snowy hair, much like he’d done to Jamie earlier. Jack, despite himself, leaned into the touch and smiled a little, feeling genuinely happy at hearing the Boogeyman’s praise. A part of him knew that Pitch was just putting on a show to torment the Guardians even further, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feel anything other than contentment.

No one had ever said that they could rely on him before.

“I knew it!” Bunny shouted triumphantly and Tooth gasped, looking at Jack with wide unbelieving eyes. “I bloody knew the ratbag was working with Pitch!” North just looked between Pitch’s hand and his face, seemingly unable to understand what was happening. Pitch smirked, grey-gold eyes lighting up as he caught sight of Bunny’s small form.

“Look how fluffy you are.” The Nightmare King bent down a little and reached towards the Spirit of Easter. “Would you like a scratch behind the ears?” Pitch continued in a mocking tone, the shadow of his hand enlarging and stretching towards Bunny. The shrunken Spirit dashed backwards and climbed into North’s free hand, looking even smaller as he huddled close to the Russian.

“Don’t you even think about it!” Bunny growled, attempting to sound threatening and failing at it miserably. Jack chuckled a little and Bunny turned to scowl at him. “I knew from the very beginning that you could never be a Guardian, Frost. All you care about is yourself!”

Jack snarled at that, lunging forwards a little and slamming his staff into the ground. A wave of ice and cold wind kicked up over the area, as a bolt of frost shot up into the air, looking like a burst of lightning in its own way. Pitch stepped to the side, raising an eyebrow at Jack and idly brushing off some frost that had formed over his arm and shoulder.

“Look who’s talking.” Jack growled angrily as he returned Bunny’s glare. “All you care about is your stupid holiday and your creepy little eggs.”

“Jack, how can you side with Pitch?” Tooth asked, hurt openly displayed on her face. He swallowed dryly, his anger retreating at being confronted by her wounded tone. “I thought–”

“What my dear, that you could just use Jack as you saw fit?” Pitch cut in and Tooth pursed her lips, glaring at him. Pitch moved to stand beside Jack again, his tall stature emphasized next to his shorter height, making the man look all the more imposing. “Did you really think you could treat Jack so cruelly without any repercussions?”

Jack pulled his hoodie up as their gazes landed on his bruise and he waited for what felt like an eternity for someone, _anyone_ , to say something. He hesitantly looked up at the Guardians, only to find that North and Tooth were also avoiding eye contact. Bunny just glared at him and Pitch, looking unrepentant. ‘ _They’re not sorry._ ’ At that realization and seeing their reactions firsthand, something inside him broke a little.

“I originally agreed to help you in order to get my Teeth back.” Jack started, sounding like he didn’t have a care in the world. Inwardly, he was screaming at them do something, to apologize, to explain why they’d turned on him so quickly. “But,” He paused there, trying his best to keep the tremors out of his voice. “Once I had them I still came back to that park, willing to do whatever I could to make things right.”

“Jack–” North started to say, but Jack felt as if a dam had given out. He couldn’t hold back the hurt and resentment that had only grown since earlier that day.

“And what did I get in return?” He hissed while taking a step forward. “ _Oh Jack, what have you done?_ ” Tooth flinched. “ _You were with Pitch?!_ ” North buckled. “ _We never should have trusted you!_ ” He roared that last bit and Bunny’s glare broke for a second, his ears drooping slightly.

Jack turned away from them, suddenly feeling wrung out and empty. How could they make him care this much? They hadn’t known each for more than twenty-four hours, and yet here he was, feeling as if his world had just been torn apart.

He felt someone step closer to him, their body almost pressed against his, and Jack looked up with wet eyes to see Pitch’s back. The Boogeyman had stepped in front of him, almost as if he were shielding Jack from the Guardians. The irony of it all wasn’t lost on the Winter Spirit and he let out a bitter chuckle, taking comfort in Pitch’s long shadow as he tried to regain his composure.

“Jack, w-what– what did you tell Jamie?” Tooth asked after a minute and Jack took a deep breath before stepping out from behind Pitch, staying close to the older Spirit as he casually leaned on his staff.

“Oh, I just told him how Pitch systematically killed all of you.” He answered breezily before twirling his staff. He ignored the shocked shouts and adjusted his face accordingly, pretending to look upset as recounted what he’d told Jamie.

“Pitch killed Sandy by firing an arrow into his back. We tried to save him, we really did Jaime, but we just weren’t fast enough.” He started sadly and Tooth tried to stifle her tears. He’d actually gone into greater detail with what happened to Sandy with Jamie, but the others didn’t need a recap. Plus, he didn’t like talking about what happened to Sandy. He’d been the only Guardian who’d ever actually spent some time with Jack in the past.

“Then he got Tooth, he’d damaged her wings while we’d been fighting in the air. We were so far up that when she hit the ground... I tried Jamie, I flew as fast as I could, but I–” He cut himself off there, as if it was too horrible to go on. Pitch chuckled and Jack sent him a brittle smirk before forcing himself to continue.

“When it was just the three of us, we were in Bunny’s Warren, trying to get the eggs ready for Easter. We found Sophie there.” He cracked a small smile, as if he really were talking to Jamie at that moment. “No, she was fine. She’d apparently found one of North’s snow globes while he’d been taking a nap in your room. One of us had to take her back though, so I volunteered. Bunny needed to tend to his eggs and I was the fastest out of the group.” He frowned there, eyebrows furrowed together as anger filled his tone.

“Pitch tricked me by using my Teeth and lured me into his lair. By the time I got out and was able to find the find the others, it was too late. Bunny was fighting against Pitch one-on-one when I showed up; North had been cut off from helping by a horde of Nightmares. They were both being overpowered Jamie and I couldn’t save both of them. Pitch finished Bunny off personally.” He gripped his staff hard, ice rippling across the wood in a jagged manner. His faux anger seemed to melt away, and he dragged a hand across his tired face.

“And then there was North. Oh, you should have seen how brave he was Jamie. Nightmares fell faster than you could blink. He was amazing and I’d thought…” He inhaled sharply, closing his eyes in despair. “I’d thought that we were going to be okay, you know? But when I looked away for a second, North screamed, and then he was gone Jamie, swallowed up by Pitch’s Nightmare Sand forever.” He finished in a scared tone, looking up at the group with haunted eyes.

It was silent for a few brief seconds before Jack scoffed, hoping to break the grave of the tension that had fallen over their little group.

“A stellar performance, Jack.” Pitch complimented flatly, throwing in a few mocking claps of an applause. “Truly, Shakespeare himself would have been impressed.” Jack grinned at Pitch’s lack of emotion and bowed appropriately. His playful mood however, quickly disappeared as he caught sight of the Guardians horrified expressions.

He didn’t want this, he’d never wanted to be feared, he’d said as much to Pitch hours ago. So why had he pushed? Nobody forced him to reenact what he’d told Jamie, he hadn’t needed to twist that knife a little further. So why had he done it? ‘ _Because they hurt me, they deserve it._ ’ A small part of his mind whispered spitefully.

“Really, I can’t tell how happy it makes me to see you all like this.” Pitch added, regaining Jack’s attention as he looked over the Guardians with a dark smile. “You look awful.” That seemed to break the Guardians out of their shock. North and Bunny mustered a glare while Tooth just continued to stare at Jack with that frightened look. “Now, why don’t you three just head back to North’s Workshop, it’s not like you have any reason to be here.”

“You think we’re just going to let you do whatever you want?” Tooth asked heatedly and Pitch tsked patronizingly.

“I don’t think, I know.” Pitch disappeared into his own shadow and a group of ten Nightmares suddenly materialized next to Jack, five on his left and five to the right, looking like they were flanking him and giving him their support. He gave the closest Nightmare a side glance, before his eyes spotted Pitch’s shadow circling the Guardians.

They backed away from it and ended up retreating into a dead-end alleyway, too focused on avoiding the shadows to notice that they were being corralled. Jack gave the Nightmare another glance and it nodded towards the alley, as if telling him to help. With a dubious look, he sent out a thin layer of frost that iced over the alley and neighboring buildings. The normal fern patterns were gone, replaced with sharp mangled lines that glistened ominously in the dimly lit lane.

“We will stop you, Pitch! You and your frostbitten little sneak!” Bunny growled.

“Oh, yeah? How?” Jack asked angrily as he helped the Nightmares and Pitch push them deeper into the alleyway. “No one Believes in you guys anymore, your invisible, it’s like you don’t even exist.” He snarled vindictively, throwing back the same words Bunny had used in North’s Workshop.

“Exactly, there’s nothing you can do to stop us.” Pitch agreed, reappearing behind Jack to lay his hands down on both shoulders. North looked pale in the flickering streetlight. Pitch leaned forward and spoke into his ear, but loud enough for the Guardians to still hear. “Let’s end this, shall we?” He sent out a blast of hail and snow towards the Guardians and they tumbled back into the darkest shadows of the alley, not even able to let out a shout as they were disappeared into the darkness.

“What? Where’d they go?” Jack asked worriedly, turning around to face Pitch. The Nightmare King laughed while absently petting a shuffling Nightmare.

“Relax Jack, I just sent them back to North’s Workshop. They’re perfectly fine, if a little rattled.” Jack sighed in relief and Pitch scoffed. “Now then, do I get to meet your little Believer?” He looked back at Pitch with wide eyes, heart racing at the very thought of Pitch being anywhere near Jamie. Pitch smiled, his sharp teeth practically glowing from where he stood in the shadows, before throwing his head back to laugh again.

“Fine Jack, I see how it is. I’ll leave the boy alone.” Jack watched as Pitch climbed onto the Nightmare. The Boogeyman spared him a look before disappearing into the shadows, his departing words echoing in the night’s air. “For now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there’s chapter three. The real struggle I had while writing this was making the characters interact with each other while not making anyone seem to OOC, which was actually really hard. Almost all of the things I wanted Tooth to say the first time around came out bitchy and she just isn’t that type of person. Bunny did a lot of the hating in this chapter, but I really don’t think he would have reacted any differently.
> 
> Hopefully Jack didn’t seem evil to you guys, because he’s not. Sure, he can be a little dark, but he doesn’t get any joy out of watching the Guardians suffer. I tried to show how conflicted he was, but I also wanted to show him lashing out a little too. That’s what was really going on when he reenacted the lies he’d told Jamie. Pitch still felt evil, so that was good, but I hope the ending was too abrupt. 
> 
> –Hexalys


	4. Another Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!
> 
> Yes, yes, I know it was a long wait for an update… I have no excuses other than a loss of interest and being perpetually plagued by laziness.

Jack stood in the empty alleyway for what felt like hours; though realistically he knew it couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. His frost along the ground and buildings stayed in place, hiding what little grime there was and somehow emphasizing the shadows that took refuge in every nook and cranny. It left him with an eerie feeling if he stared at it for too long. Now that he was alone, confronted and forced to examine his thoughts, he found himself staggering under the events that led to this.

How was it that just two days ago he’d been playing with Jamie and his friends, instigating snowball fights and causing exciting sled rides through the town? Jack looked up at the sky, instinctively searching for the Moon, only to see dark clouds rolling in overhead. He didn’t know if that made him feel relieved or upset.

He had asked the Man in the Moon for centuries variants of a simple question, why him? Why had he been chosen to become Jack Frost? What was his purpose? But he’d never been answered, never acknowledged. Then North had said the Moon had chosen him to be a Guardian, that it was his destiny. And Jack, who had waited for centuries for his answer, had been sorely disappointed with the reason for his existence. Why would he want to be a Guardian?

He had spent centuries resenting them, spending his time exposing their faults out of spite for how he’d been left alone. They bribed children for their Belief! North left toys, Tooth left money, and Bunny left eggs. Admittedly, that last one was pretty lame. Who wanted an egg? Still, they were simple material things that never lasted long, but Jack had to admit that the bribes did their job. They were proof that the kids could hold onto and say: “Look what Santa brought me!” It was easy to be Believed in when you had something tangible to offer.

Snow happened all on its own. Jack didn’t control every blizzard or was responsible for every snow day. He couldn’t offer kids proof of his existence. In that regard, he considered that Sandy was very much like him. It was impossible to think that the little man had been the creator of all good dreams.

So for all the stories Jack had heard about the Guardians over the years, about how wonderful, amazing, and giving they were, he’d never believed a word of it. They had never shown him any attention or kindness. Not once had he met Tooth or North before the other night, and his first time meeting Bunny in ‘68 had been less than stellar.

But after spending some time with the Guardians themselves, he had learned the truth. They weren’t the mean, uncaring, shallow beings he’d convinced himself to think. He’d just been jealous and had felt ignored by them, shunned and unwanted. Perhaps that’s what hurt him the most when he realized what they were truly like. They hadn’t neglected him for three hundred years on purpose. The Guardians had simply been too wrapped up in their own lives to realize he was there, desperately waiting for someone to see him.

During the past few days, Jack had finally started seeing what kids all over the world had been saying for centuries. North was great. He was a hearty, welcoming man, who’d taken a moment to actually explain a few things, even managing to look out for him in their short time together. He was fun and Jack had constantly caught himself warming up to the older Spirit’s antics.

Sandy was someone whom he was the most familiar with among the Guardians. The little man had been the first Spirit he’d ever met, and even though Sandy hadn’t been able to talk, Jack had just appreciated finding out that someone could actually see him at the time. The older Spirit had always sent an excited wave in greeting whenever they’d crossed paths.

Jack still wasn’t sure what to make of Tooth. She was nice and had even apologized for not knowing about his memory loss. Not that he’d known about it either. She’d been the one to catch him after being knocked out briefly from the backlash of his own attack. Even though she had a bordering unhealthy obsession with teeth and no sense of personal space, Jack still found himself smiling a little whenever he pictured her concerned face.

As for Bunny… he gritted his teeth and pushed the thought of the Easter Bunny away from the front of his mind. He didn’t know what he felt towards the Kangaroo, he just knew it wasn’t anything positive. They’d had a rough relationship even before this whole Guardianship thing started. After Easter, after the punch, Jack was certain he could never look at the other Spirit in a positive light again.

A frightened yell from nearby broke the Winter Spirit out of his thoughts. Dread pooled in his stomach as he realized that it was a child’s screams.

Without a second’s hesitation he flew to the nearby house, recognizing it as the home to one of Jamie’s friends. Fear griped at his heart as well as anger. He’d promised Jamie that he wouldn’t let any of his friends have nightmares tonight, but if Pitch was in there…

Jack paused at the window and carefully peered into the bedroom. Pippa Harington turned in her bed fitfully as the black sand that floated over her head took on the shape of a large spider. He anxiously frowned as he looked over the scene. Why hadn’t she woken up yet? Where were her parents, hadn’t they heard their daughter’s screaming? Jack opened the window as quickly and quietly as he could before stepping into Pippa’s room with an uneasy feeling.

Pitch was nowhere in sight. He let out a relieved sigh.

The Winter Spirit studied the girl’s tearstained face, heart aching as he wondered what he was supposed to do now. It’s not like he could reach out and shake Pippa awake. As the girl gave another whimper, Jack snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. He raised his staff towards the ceiling, giving it a slight swing, causing big fluffy snowflakes to start drifting downwards. The first flake landed on Pippa’s nose and she shivered before blinking awake as a few more collected on her face. The Nightmare spider shuddered for a second before losing its shape and spilling onto the floor. Jack eyed it with distaste before freezing it in a solid block of ice.

The residual fear in Pippa’s face instantly fled as she gazed up in awe at the miniature flurry he’d created. Jack smiled to himself as the nine year old giggled in delight and reached out to touch the white flakes. She stood up on her bed; much like Jamie had earlier, and twirled, the snowflakes catching in her short red hair. Jack had always liked Pippa and it wasn’t just because she was Jamie’s best friend. Pippa was a bright, fun girl, though she had the tendency to be a bit of a worrier. It helped that he’d also heard her admit several times that winter was her favorite season.

After fifteen minutes though, Pippa’s burst of excitement faded and she slowly fell back asleep while watching the snowflakes fondly. Jack watched her for a few minutes more, just to make sure that she didn’t have another nightmare. There was no Dream Sand over her head, but there was a small content smile on her face that he was responsible for. He adjusted the covers, tucking Pippa in more thoroughly, and dismissed the snow from her room. Crouching down to pick up the frozen formless sand, Jack snuck back out the window and silently closed it behind himself before flying off to check on the rest of Jamie’s friends.

He was completely unaware of the golden eyes that watched him leave before disappearing into the shadows to report to its’ master.

* * *

Pitch Black was downright giddy and it was a terrifying sight to behold.

The children, on some baser level in their subconscious, realized this. From where he stood on the roof of a two-story home, he could hear the little ones inside shifting restlessly in their beds. He wasn’t even in the same room as them, but they were already beginning to sense his presence. It was a testament to how much his power had grown in such a short amount time.

He wasn’t strong enough to give nightmares to teenagers or adults quite yet, but with every child that whimpered and cried out in their sleep, the Nightmare King knew he wouldn’t have to wait long. Of course no one knew that he was the one responsible for their nightmares at the moment, but soon enough the world would once again Believe in the Boogeyman.

For now, he simply reveled in his victory as he watched his Nightmares dash across rooftops in some random city on the eastern coast of the States. He had free reign to be wherever he wanted, to give whomever he wanted a terrible nightmare or two. There was no one left to stop him. Just that fact alone was enough to send Pitch laughing triumphantly again.

He’d done it. He’d finally beaten those wretched Guardians! ‘ _So it is true._ ’ Pitch thought humorously to himself. ‘ _Revenge is a dish best served cold._ ’ He’d have to remember to share that joke with Frost in the future. He smirked at thought of the little Winter Spirit. Recruiting the boy had certainly been a blow to the Guardians, both physically and emotionally. He could recount the boy’s horrifying lies with perfect clarity, savoring the Guardians’ shaken expressions and growing fear as Frost explained what he’d done. He made a mental note to turn Frost’s detailed stories into actual nightmares for the children. That should squash the chances of any new Believers appearing.

A Nightmare approached from behind him and he turned to it with a raised brow. It whickered in an agitated manner, delivering a message that quickly diminished his good mood.

“So Jack Frost thinks he can dictate my Nightmares, does he?” He dismissed the creature with a wave of his hand and dove into the nearest source of darkness, reappearing inside a child’s room. Frost stood near the sleeping child’s bed, watching fondly and remaining oblivious to his arrival. He quietly approached the boy and spoke once he was less than a foot away. “Frost.” Pitch hissed, rewarded with a startled jump from the Winter Spirit and a spike of fear. “I think it’s time you and I had a talk about how this partnership is going to work.” The child stirred in his sleep and Frost quickly shushed him before pointing at the window. He glared, but said no more as he followed the boy outside onto the snow covered lawn.

“I guess you found out about my freezing one of your Nightmares, huh?” Frost remarked lowly as he shuffled in the shadow of the house. Despite the added layer of darkness, the boy’s white hair seemed as glaringly bright as ever. To his credit, Frost almost looked apologetic.

“Yes and you will not be doing it again.” The Boogeyman growled and the child quickly brought up his hands in a surrendering gesture. He paused before turning his attention back to the house. ‘ _That must_ _be little Jamie’s residence._ ’ Pitch felt Frost shift behind him uncomfortably as the boy’s fear increased slightly, worried for his little Believer of course. “What did you do with my Nightmare?” He continued in a more sedated tone and the tension eased out of the boy’s shoulders a little.

Frost gave him a sheepish look before pulling something out of his shirt’s front pocket. A small mound of Nightmare Sand rested in the center of a block of ice. Pitch glowered at the younger Spirit as he took the frozen sand and had the shadows return it back to his lair where it could thaw.

“I know I shouldn’t have done that, but–” Frost made an expression that Pitch could only describe as pitiful. “There are so many children; can’t you leave the ones in this town alone?”

“So you would sacrifice the many to save a few?” He stated curiously; enjoying the way the boy curled in on himself and hugged his staff tightly to his body, as if it were a security blanket. “That doesn’t seem very heroic, does it Jack?”

“I’m not saying forever, just for tonight. Just give them one night of no nightmares.” The Winter Spirit muttered as he lowered his head. “I promised Jamie.”

“Ah, I suppose his opinion of you would matter the most, as he is your only Believer for the moment.” He commented lazily as he turned his gaze back to Jamie’s bedroom window. “But then you’re asking another favor of me, Jack. I spared the little Fairy at your request. What will I get in return this time?”

“What do you want?” Frost asked warily and Pitch smirked.

“I will exempt young Jamie and his friends from having any Nightmares tonight, but only if you find a suitable replacement.” At the boy’s confused expression, he elaborated further. “Meaning, you must choose a new child who will receive the intended children’s nightmares in their stead. How many children do you wish to spare?”

“Well, there’s Jamie of course, his sister Sophie, Pippa, Cupcake, Monty, Claude, and Caleb.”

“Then the child you choose will have to suffer through seven nightmares.” Pitch answered with a sharp grin and the boy faltered, looking positively stricken at that thought. “Of course I am not completely cruel. The child will not have to experience them all in one evening.” Frost bit his lip and closed his eyes in thought. “I will not give you all night to think about my offer Jack, there are many things I’d rather be doing.” It was silent for a few moments.

“What if…” The boy eyed him nervously and Pitch felt another spike of trepidation from the Winter Spirit. “What if I took their nightmares?” The Boogeyman blinked. Well, he most certainly had not been expecting that. A hungry smile split across his face before he could stop it and Frost flinched in response.

While Pitch loved the fear that children emitted, the fear of a Spirit was far more powerful. And Frost, being both child and Spirit, would likely produce the most potent fear of all.

“I accept.” He agreed readily, holding out his hand before the boy could take back his offer, though Pitch doubted that he would. Frost was very much like the Guardians in that regard. The children always came first. The boy stared at his offered hand for a moment before reaching out slowly with his own. Once their hands clasped, he tugged Frost closer sending Nightmare Sand to spiral up the frightened boy’s arm. “Pleasant dreams, Jack.” He struggled for a moment and gave Pitch a fearful look, before his eyelids started to droop against his will. Frost fell forward like a stone and Pitch grunted as the boy collapsed into him.

Irritated, he glared at the sleeping child before lifting Frost up into his arms. Now that he had decent footing, Pitch discovered that the Winter Spirit was light and thin, almost painfully so. It was no wonder the boy could ride the wind so easily; there was no weight to him at all. Ice particles were slowly spreading over his hands and coat, the pattern defaulting back to that fern design the boy seemed to be so fond of. With one last glance at Jamie’s window, Pitch slipped into the shadows and arrived in a spare room in his Dark Cave.

He dumped Frost unceremoniously onto the dust ridden bed, holding his breath so as not to inhale the cloud of motes. He had to pry the boy’s staff out of his tight grip and Pitch studied it for a second before setting it against the grimy wall. He had seen the way Frost had fallen after losing his staff during the battle against the Sandman. He had a theory that the staff was the boy’s conduit to harness his power. But it wasn’t just that, while the weapon seemed like lifeless wood in his hands, Pitch could feel the Moon’s influence radiating from it.

The Boogeyman paused to take in the dusty room that had never been used before, just like the other countless bedrooms that were placed throughout his lair. Not for the first time he wondered why his Dark Cave had so much space, but he brushed the thought aside to focus on the sleeping Spirit. Frost particles had already begun to spread along the drab moth eaten covers, climbing up the iron bedpost frame in a lazy manner. The boy muttered once, the noise was hushed but carried an undertone of worry, and the small mass of Nightmare Sand above the boy’s head began to grow as his fear increased.

Pitch closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. It had been a long time since he’d felt such a concentrated burst of fear as powerful as this. A soft whimper broke out from the Winter Spirit and he could almost feel himself shudder as the resulting energy surged through him. Pitch likened the feeling to that of a drug. The “high” sent him reeling and he stumbled backwards, hands instinctively reaching out to help regain his balance. He blindly sat down in a cobwebbed covered chair, it gave an ominous creak, but he knew it could easily bare his weight.

Frost gave a strangled shout after several heart pounding minutes and Pitch opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. The potency of the boy’s fear made him feel lightheaded and unstoppable. It was an odd combination, but one he could certainly appreciate. He hadn’t felt this sensation in centuries and he definitely craved more. He looked to Jack Frost, absently noticing that he’d been left winded from the amount of fear he was taking in, and studied the boy with dilated eyes.

The Winter Spirit was oddly still for the amount of fear he was undergoing. Pitch knew that this was usually the point where most humans began to move about, the body’s feeble attempt at waking oneself. Frost’s limbs however, remained stuck at his sides. His chest was rising rapidly and his head twisted from side to side occasionally, but the boy was not thrashing like others often did.

A gasp cut through the younger Spirit’s panting before an unstifled shriek echoed throughout the room. Pitch felt himself collapse in a boneless heap, the chair being the only thing to have kept from failing to the floor. In that moment, he suddenly felt as if Frost’s fear was _too_ much. The ability to think was almost an impossible feat, leaving his state of being stagnant, almost catatonic. The ridiculous thought soon left him though as the rushing flood of power crawled under his skin, making him let out a high-pitched, nearly delirious, laugh.

Some more minutes passed before Frost finally grew quiet, the terror died down, and Pitch listlessly looked over at him, only to jump in surprise at seeing the Nightmare take shape. It wasn’t a horse, but a wolf. Its lupine figure was large, perhaps only a head shorter than one of his Nightmares, and it bared its onyx sharpened teeth at him, growling ferociously. The Boogeyman reclaimed what he could of his senses and slowly stood up, warily watching the beast that showed no signs of calming down. It studied him hungrily and Pitch ruthlessly pushed back the feeling of apprehension as he saw that its’ eyes were red.

This was not a Nightmare, it was a Night Terror.

Just as the Night Terror seemed ready to lunge for him, Frost let out a choked sound that sounded like a sob, bolting upright in a sitting position, instantly attracting the wolf’s attention. The boy gazed at the massive creature that hovered over him, fear mounting upon the dread that was already there. Pitch knew that to the Night Terror, Frost must have looked like a succulent cut of prime rib. He felt his eyes widen as watched the wolf dive for the boy’s throat, jaws aiming for his jugular.

Frost was quick though and he brought up his right arm on impulse. The boy’s resulting scream as the wolf’s teeth tore at his skin snapped Pitch out his daze. He summoned his scythe and struck, knocking the Night Terror off of Frost and into the wall. It was made out of Nightmare Sand though, so his weapon did little more than disorient the creature. He quickly dismissed the sand scythe and summoned one made of shadows in its place. The Night Terror charged at him this time, but Pitch was already slashing at him.

It howled in pain as the shadows tore through its chest, the gash was not deep enough to make its form burst however. Pitch prepared himself to strike again, but the Night Terror was closer now, taking advantage of his scythe’s long length. The Nightmare King jerked back as a bolt of white and cold struck the wolf. A spray of icicles easily shredded through its hide of coarse black sand. He blinked as the grains tumbled to the ground, piling into a large mound, still and lifeless.

“What was that?!” Frost shouted, his tone bordering on hysterical. Pitch turned to the younger Spirit, forcing himself to ignore the boy’s terror. Frost was visibly shaking, pressed up against the dirty wall with his staff clenched tightly in his left hand while his right arm hung loosely at his side. Streams of red blood dripped downwards into a decently sized puddle. The boy clenched his teeth, dropping to the knees as he pressed a hand over the impressive injury.

“That was a Night Terror.” Pitch answered as he approached the sand, eyeing it distrustfully before turning his attention back to Frost. He crouched down in front to the Winter Spirit, who blinked slowly before giving a delayed flinch. The boy’s eyes fluttered, likely feeling faint from the blood loss. “They’re much worse than any Nightmare.”

“I feel… really sleepy…” Frost muttered as his head wobbled. Glancing at the bite marks in his arm, Pitch caught sight of a cluster of sand burrowing its way into the boy’s body. Acting quickly, he formed the shadows into a makeshift dagger before stabbing it into Frost’s wounds. The boy yelled and lashed out, his foot smashing into Pitch’s shin, causing the man to grunt. “What are you doing?!” Frost shouted as he struggled to get away. The Boogeyman remained silent and focused; he needed to get the Nightmare Sand out. He continued to dig with the blade until the gathering of sand spilled onto the floor, making one last attempt to move before becoming idle. Pitch backed away from Frost and the boy tracked his movement with wide wary eyes, curling around his injured limb protectively.

“I just saved you from falling into a nightmare induced coma.” The Nightmare King huffed as he resisted the urge to rub his shin. “If that sand had gotten into your blood stream–” He paused, not for an added effect, but because he didn’t know for certain what could have happened. The sand would have indeed put Frost to sleep, of that he was certain. But from there the rest was just speculation. One option was that it would stay safely hidden inside his body, using the boy as an incubator to create more Night Terrors, trapping him in an endless nightmarish sleep. Or it could have just chosen to devour Frost’s mind, leaving an empty husk behind from its feeding frenzy.

In truth, Pitch had no idea what they were capable of.

“Wait, hold on a second! What’s a night terror?” The Winter Spirit asked before clenching his jaw in pain. Pitch sighed in irritation, but silently summoned one his Nightmares. It trotted to his side dutifully, giving wide berth to the pile of sand in the center of the room, and whickered in greeting.

“Be a dear and fetch something to bind Jack’s wound with, would you.” He ordered, brushing a hand along its long neck before sending it away. He looked at Frost unhappily before approaching the boy, offering a hand that the child glared at briefly before accepting it. Pitch was once again taken aback by how light the younger Spirit was as he redirected Frost onto the bed. The boy gave him a suspicious glance, but quickly returned to checking over his wound. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

A large piece of skin was peeled back, leaving it to flap around in a grotesque manner. The groves and bumps of torn muscles were a predominant bulging red. A tendon could be seen poking through, but the truly grisly sight was the amount of blood that seemed to poor out of the wound. Surprisingly though, its flow was congealing quickly, healing fast even by a Spirits standard. Frost brought his face lower to his injury and blew lightly, causing ice particles to seal over the cuts. It didn’t escape Pitch’s notice that Frost seemed to know what he was doing, telling him that the boy had received injuries of a similar kind before.

The Nightmare returned sooner than he’d expected, carrying what looked like a red scarf in its mouth. He gave it a pat on the head in thanks and offered the scarf to Frost, watching as the boy tore off the remains of his sweater sleeve to clean up the blood from his person.

“Night terrors are, as I told you, worse than nightmares.” Pitch began; Frost paused for a second, but quickly continued his ministrations. “Human physiologists have labeled it as a disorder that causes feelings of terror or dread to an extreme level. About six percent of children and adolescents suffer from sleep terror episodes, while less than one percent of adults have the disorder.” The younger Spirit expertly tied the knitted scarf around the wound, using his left hand and mouth to tighten it in place. He gave a muffled grunt at the pressure being exerted on the injury, but that was all.

“I only ever created one Night Terror from my sand before almost a century ago. At the time, I had no idea what I’d produced. When I foolishly tried to command it, the beast lashed out at me. It took down twenty-two of my Nightmares before I was finally able to subdue it.” Pitch studied Frost intently as another bout of fear came from the boy. The attack and injury covered the side effects one exhibited after having a night terror. Rapid breathing, elevated heart rate, and the baseline of fear that was inconsolable. Sweating was absent from the list, but that was probably due to his cool body temperature. Frost hid his distress well, but his act could not fool the Boogeyman.

“Your nightmare progressed into a night terror rather quickly. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.” He lied. In reality he’d been too focused on enjoying Frost’s fear to notice that his nightmare had changed into something darker. “Rest assured though, in the future I will stop the nightmare before it can progress further.” The boy looked positively ill at his words, and Pitch got another taste of his cold dread. This time it was the fear of falling asleep. If this kept up, Frost would likely develop hypnophobia. Despite the situation, Pitch couldn’t help but chuckle darkly at that thought. He loved exploiting phobias.

“So we’re done for the night right? I can… leave?” The boy’s eyes roamed over the room in confusion, likely realizing he didn’t recognize their surroundings. “Uh, where are we?”

“My Dark Cave.” He answered evenly, not sure what to make of the interested look on Frost’s face.

“You don’t mind if I look around sometime, do you?” The Winter Spirit asked and Pitch shrugged.

“I care not what you do with your time Jack, just that you leave my Nightmares alone.” He narrowed his brows at the boy, getting an infuriating eye roll in return.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll leave them alone, scout’s honor.” Frost muttered and Pitch scoffed at the very idea of the mischievous Spirit ever being a boy scout. “Oh man, this was my favorite shirt.” The boy groaned as he looked over his ruined clothes. Blood stains and torn fabric littered his right side. Not even his trousers had escaped the incident, as a splatter of red trailed across both of his thighs.

“I’m certain you can find replacements.” He commented blandly. “But now I really must take my leave. I have things to do, children to make scream.” Frost looked guilty for a second before he shuddered and lowered his head.

“When do you want to do the other…?” The boy trailed off, losing his never to the new feeling of alarm that attacked him. “I still have six nightmares left.” He admitted weakly.

Pitch resisted the urge to put the boy to sleep once more, making him suffer through consecutive nightmares. He knew that amount of fear, added to the trauma that he’d already been through tonight, would leave its ugly mark on Frost. And while he didn’t particularly care for the boy one way or the other, he certainly had no desire to torture the little Spirit. Instead he gave a short chuckle before shaking his head, leaving the boy on the bed as he disappeared into the shadows.

“Let’s just leave it as a surprise, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, been a while since I’d updated this. I admit I had to force myself to keep writing during some parts, but hopefully I did you guys justice with this chapter. I had to get a little into what Jack thought about the Guardians, he still hasn’t had time to focus on what he’s done, but we did get a glimpse at where he stood with them before and after he met them. 
> 
> Surprisingly there was a lot from Pitch’s perspective going on in this chapter. Originally I meant to only give him about a thousand words, but then it just kept snowballing from there. (Ha, snowballing! Get it?) The Night Terror was an on the spot idea that I just decided to run with. I think it fits. I know you all are probably curious about what Jack’s nightmare was, but don’t worry, we have six more opportunities to see what it was. Huh, I think I like torturing Jack a little too much. 
> 
> –Hexalys


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